The lantern
by lulabalula
Summary: Series of very short nightmare fanfictions with small Lantern. Each chapter is different pairing.
1. Thranduil - mother

" Naaanaaaaa!" laud cry was carried far, for it was late and rooms felt in silence long time ago. "Naaanaaaaaaaaaaa!" Thranduil cried again, between quiet weeps for which he could not hear his Mother running into his bedroom.

" What is it?" she quickly asked, sitting down on edge of child's bed "Thranduil, was it a bad dream?"

" He was in the window." Thranduil answered, turning his face away from there "I don't like that window." He quaked, reaching for his mother and burying his face in her lap.

" That's all right." She laid her hand on his back and looked up to Oropher standing now at the doors and silently watching.

" I don't like that Window." Thranduil repeated and only looked up when his father kneeled beside his bed. "Ada do something." he begged, while king softly brushed his hair away from his face, after he slowly rose away from his mother who stood up. Both father and son, turned to her, as she walked to bookshelf where a small lantern was hanged, taking a box of matches and lighting up half burned candle inside.

" Here." She turned around, holding a lantern, walking back to child's bed and hanging it there, on bedpost "it will drive all the monsters away."

" But… but…" Thranduil stammered, looking at her mother, reclaiming her seat on bed next to him.

" It helped last time." Oropher whispered, standing up and softly pressing his son back into pillow

" Will you stay here?" he asked, reaching for him, but looking at his mother still sitting at the edge of his bed.

" I will sit outside." Oropher answered "Nana will be better company for you."

" But I want you here ada." Thranduil looked at him with eyes wide opened "Please stay." He whispered, while his mother and father exchanged looks. Than Oropher sighed and sat down beside the bed again. None of them spoke, only after while, Thranduil's eyes slipped from his mother to burning candle in lantern and when her slow and quiet humming eased his mind, he finally felt asleep again. This time not only him. Oropher laid his head on side of bed and now his eyes were as sleepy as Thranduil's and his breath calm and deep. Nostariel slowly stood up and before leaving room, she took last look at her son, sleeping in bed and her husband, king, guarding the dreams of prince.


	2. Thranduil - father

"Shhh…" Oropher extended his hand to Thranduil lying next to him. He didn't slept in his own bed for quite some time now "I'm here." He spoke quietly, holding Thranduil's hand, brushing his thumb softly against his skin.

" But nana isn't." Thranduil's voice trembled, his other hand reaching for his father's hand, grasping his wrist. For moment, Oropher did not know what to do, what to say, not even what to think. The sadness he ignored so much come back and he felt as if the feeling itself was trying to rip him apart. It was too soon. Too soon for both of them.

He quickly supported himself and kissed Thranduil on forehead, than slipping his hand off his son's grasp, Oropher sat on bed, followed by Thranduil's eyes. Soon a quick, loud sound, in quiet bedroom, could be heard and soft dancing light was to be seen, as older elf lighted up candle in small lantern. King let his son drag him back down to his bed and sighing, Oropher laid his hand over him, as if he wanted to protect his son from any harm. Soon, they both felt asleep and their night was not disturbed by anything else, for the both found peace, knowing the light shines above them.


	3. Thranduil

Thranduil Slowly reached for candle. His fingers were shaking and he had to remind himself to breathe in. Just breathe in. Ignore the pain growing and panic in heart, just breathe in and stay calm, stay calm.

But when the light of candle filled up room, Thranduil could not see the light anymore. The scars grew too far again, blinding his second eye. He leaned in to feel the heat on his hands, only for second panic again shooting through him, before literary forcing himself to realize there comes no danger from little flame. Closing the glass door of lantern, he laid down again, trying to calm his breaths now, closing his eyes, which made no difference, and hanged his hand close to heat.


	4. Thranduil - wife

" NO!" She cried out, "NO LET GO OF ME!" Nessiel threw her hands all around, fighting, first against, not existing, monster, than Thranduil, who quickly blocked her hands, pushing her to bed "NO!" she cried out again, kicking and screaming "LEAVE HIM, LEAV HIM!"

" NESSIEL!" Thranduil yelled "IT'S DREAM!" suddenly she stopped. He lost his grip over her and found himself lying on bed again, the sounds of smashed glass remaining in his mind, even though the figure standing near bed was only thing he could think of. She stood low, with hands before her, still, but breathing heavily. Soon her body started shaking and Thranduil quickly got up and when her knees failed her, he just reached for her forearms and supported her, quickly getting hold of her shoulders "it's all right." He Whispered "You're all right."

" I'm not." his queen simply refused "I'm not…" she whispered "I'm sorry." Thranduil quickly pressed his forehead to hers, extending his arms around her body and holding her strong.

" You will be all right." He spoke "I promise you, you will be all right." Her light, quiet, sobs were now shaking her body even more "Come lay down again." Picking her himself, he laid her on his side of bed gently, kissing her cheek. When he reached for lantern, Nessiel subtly touched his knees, as if she was scared he's gone. "Look." Thranduil spoke "the light will drive all bad dreams and all your fears away." She opened her eyes, looking up, when he held her hand and laid down again. She didn't do anything for long time, and Thranduil watched her eyes glow in the light of candle, now a bit stronger. There was no blood on glass or her hands, it was only small crush. "You will be all right." He whispered again, softly pressing her hand, breathing in the smell of her hair left on her pillow.


	5. Thranduil - son

He run quickly in, sitting on edge of small bed, holding his son's shoulder, but child quickly freed them and he could feel his small short hands wrapping around his body, sobs shaking him.

" Legolas…" Thranduil spoke, one hand resting on his back, the other on his head, protecting him from anything to come "shhh…. It's fine, Ada is here."

" But you wasn't." Legolas squeaked "You said you hate me." Thranduil could feel his grip becoming stronger, as the fear come to his mind again.

" It was only a dream." He answered "I would never hate you, my little leaf." He spoke softly, slowly brushing his hand down his back, up again… down and up, again and again "I love you."

" But others said." Legolas looked up to him "They said it's my fault." For moment, Thranduil stopped. Nightmares are here to expose what we fear, they are here to remind us the bad, the one we hate, they are here to show us the deepest holes of our souls – to scare us with ourselves. That's what Legolas feared. That Thranduil would blame him for his mother's death. He didn't really knew how it happened, he never asked and Thranduil never told him, hoping the time when he will have to would never come.

" Legolas…" he breathed in "it was not your fault."

" Ada I…" But he did not finished, he only looked down, burring his face in his Father's body again. Thranduil held him for little longer, before, with Legolas still clinging to his body, extending himself and taking a small lantern with cracked glass to his hands, quickly lighting up candle inside, setting it back on table. "Will you stay with me?" Legolas asked, not looking at him.

" I will." Thranduil agreed "I always will." Picking up his small body, he laid down with his son on top of him, softly stroking his head. Before Legolas looked up to him again, he kissed him on top of his head "I will never leave you, my son"


	6. Thranduil (2)

He couldn't see him coming. He could hear him only speaking. The voice of his little leaf, quietly speaking to him, words unknown, not giving any sense. There wasn't much he could see, lately. The scars were dead, they died long time ago, after the spread to his other eye again, blinding him completely.

He slowly run his fingers across the cracked glass and moving a doors little, he could hear the sound of old metal brushing in lock. The teardrop shaped lantern made of glass and softly iron shaped as small wooden branches was cold, just as his hands. There was no need to light it up anymore, for nightmares were not coming.

Nightmares comes to scare us, when life is good, and they leave when dreams becomes better than reality. Sleep was not what Thranduil was scared of now, it was what he welcomed, and what would he welcome soon for good.


End file.
